How does one angle themselves into a layoffable position?

I’d like to apologize in advance for any ignorance in this message. I’d like to acknowledge I’m in a highly privileged position compared to the average person, and do not aim to downplay anyone’s experiences with being laid off.

I’m trying to find out how people decide who gets laid off. In my situation, I’m tired of working at Fidelity. I was laid off before and came back. When I was laid off, my performance was pretty bad for a couple of months, and the team I was on wasn’t valued. I also know someone who got laid off from Fidelity 3 times and came back after every layoff (until they retired recently). I had a really successful interview back, my managers (current and previous) and I agree that I perform pretty well! Not EP well, but I make a noticeable difference in the work I do.

When I was first laid off, I heard mantras such as “everybody who gets laid off comes back”, and “some people just wait to get laid off”. If I wasn’t so young and d-mb when I was laid off, I would have used that time and severance check to buy some real estate. Just imagine that, a multi family property bought by the Fid money, while finding my place back here just a few months afterward. A cycle of “work, laid off, invest in rental property, get hired, repeat” would be tiresome, but develops generational wealth. The first time I got laid off felt like the end of the world. Now I just feel indifferent to it, and would like a paid vacation again.

However, this time around, the layoff they’re doing is more silent than ever. I’m sure we can all agree they want people to leave themselves before handing out money for people to leave, or publicizing another layoff. I’m also not going to be old/vetted enough for a VBO for a long time.

Due to the current climate (here and the Wild West known as the 2025 job market), I don’t think I want to get caught up in a layoff this time around. So, I wanted to ask, when the time comes that a layoff involving a good severance is coming, how do I put myself in a position when I’m considered someone to cut? Like I said before, I was a pretty shaky performer at the time I was laid off, and I was also on a team that wasn’t valued. And I also assume that only the teams who are highly valued are getting new hires onto the team, because why would you hire for a team that is low priority?

I think the formula is “be a bare minimum performer + annoy a few people but not too many + be on team that makes low/no revenue + team isn’t valued by the head of the BU/product area + the management there is bad”. If my formula is correct, then the idea would be to find a team where that happens. Not to insult Fidelity managers individually, but we can all agree management is… a difficult job, all across the firm. My personality will naturally annoy a few people, but not too many, and I can learn the right/wrong people to tick off. And I’m sure low performance can annoy any manager, as long as I don’t get PIPed. I can also become a bare minimum performer whenever I want. That’s 3/5 checks right there. It’s just about being placed on a team that isn’t valued.

So, how do I find a team that an overlord of a product area/BU undervalues, and would be willing to cut someone from?

Comment! It's anonymous!

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Queue the HR trolls to spam and down vote... What a job.

When did HR get the power to run the company with an iron fist? Thanks Abby! This company is going to heil in a hand basket. It doesn't take a genius to know that this will surely take the company down a path where it will become a case study for an upcoming HBR article on how NOT to run a company. Fidelity is NOT the company it was prior to the pandemic and it's not on a good trajectory.

You know what builds generational wealth, staying consistently employed and continuously contributing to the 401k. That way, not only do you ensure you get the 7% match and are around for the profit sharing in January, but 5 years of consistent employment makes you fully vested so you can keep all the employer contributions. I assume if you get laid off before 5 years, you lose some of that money. Then you have to start again. Save for retirement there, and save for a house in the CMA with the money market rate. That seems a lot smarter and surefire than trying to angle your way into repeated layoffs and rehire. No one knows how the selection works in a layoff. It’s a mix of a lot of different people for different reasons. Senior folks who are expensive, balanced out with younger folks to avoid age discrimination suits. Some “problem children” in the mix. And who knows what else. Stay at Fidelity for 5 years, and be open to other opportunities. Jump ship for a better position elsewhere. That’s how you get somewhere.

Wouldn't it be awkward if Fidelity HR upvoted that comment left by @a2+1jjm63wym to balance out the likes and dislikes here lol

@a2+1jjm63wym AUTOREPLY:\\Thank you for your comment, we will capture your IP Address for our case that's open for hate comments\\AUTOREPLYam$drejj17829

@a2+1jjm63wym - Congratulations, you are the first person to be turned in for your comment. Your IP Address has been captured. I hope it was worth it.

That approach appears sound. Another element to consider is being a member of a protected class with indications that the company may be at risk. For instance, you are over 50 years of age and are not being assigned work. Alternatively, you are Muslim and your manager is making pork jokes. It is not necessary for the discrimination to be related or malicious; it suffices to be true and to imply a potential risk exposure later on.

unalive yourself

Thread regarding Fidelity Investments layoffs

How does one angle themselves into a layoffable position?

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